Spontaneous Camping Trip

We are on Fall Break. My children got a head start on me and spent Friday hiking. I enjoyed hearing about their adventures while we ate dinner. Last night, I decided that we should go camping. At 9:00 pm, we were calling a campground and shopping online for tents. My husband left at 7:00 AM to secure a spot at the campground. He then stopped and bought a two room tent. While he was gone, I began to organize clothes and blankets. He hooked up the sail boat to the van and loaded our supplies. We were on our way by 2:00 pm.

The tent is up. The best part is that we all had to play a part in sitting up camp. Hopefully, we won't get too wet or cold. It's not exactly great weather for camping. We'll have a blast even if the weather is rainy and cold.

Fall Fashion-2 for 1.

Fun Print Thursday

I didn't have a chance to post yesterday, so I am going to post two outfits today.  The first outfit is a fun print top paired with a pair of comfortable gray slacks and cute flats. I love the print and ruffles on this top.  It can easily be paired with a black cardigan for cooler days.  The gray slacks are my favorite pair of pants.  I found them on the sale rack at Christopher and Bank at the end of the winter season last year. The gray ballet flats are a perfect fit for this outfit. (See I do own shoes other than my favorite wedges).

Top-Van Heusen

Slacks-Christopher and Banks

Shoes-????



Jeans Friday

At my school we can wear jeans on Friday if we wear a blazer.  I don't particularly like to wear blazers BUT I do like to wear my jeans on Fridays.  Just after school started, Lexi and I went resale shop hoppin.  I was on a mission to find a blazer but struck out. None of them fit correctly. It's great to shop with a friend who will honestly tell you not to buy something because it doesn't look right.

Still determined to find the perfect blazer, I started looking on my favorite online sites.  Talbots had a great sale at the beginning of September.  I fell in love with this Blazer as soon as I saw it.  I know the pink is a little bright for Fall but I think it can still work.  This blazer also has a tailored classic fit.    It hangs in my closet as a reminder that the weekend isn't far away.  I even found a pair of cute pink flats on the clearance rack at Target. Fun shoes to wear with a fun blazer!

 

Blazer-Talbots

T-shirt-Target

Jeans-Levi

Shoes-Target

What I have learned...

This week I learned that I have a lot of great outfits hanging in my closet.  I can be comfortable in front of the camera.  I need some statement jewelry and maybe a fun fall scarf or two.  Link ups can dramatically increase the traffic to your blog.

Special Thanks

This has been such a fun week! Special thanks to Lexi for inviting me to participate and for taking all of my pictures. Didn't she do a great job????

I would also like to thank Deanna for hosting Fall Fashion Week!

Fall Fashion Week-Something a Little Bit Different...

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a shopping trip with my sister in-law.  It was a rare moment to spend time together without our spouses or children. We were both successful in finding some good deals.

I was looking for a new fall dress and a pair of boots. My in-laws live in Crossville, TN where there is great outlet shopping!  I found this great gray and deep burgundy dress in a fun print at Vanity Fair.   I have to admit that it is not something I would normally choose, BUT it went so well with the boots that I found at the Easy Spirit Shoe Outlet that I couldn't resist.  I spent about an hour in the shoe store trying on just about every shoe that they had in my size but I didn't find anything that I loved.  Then just as I was about to give up, I went back to the clearance section where I found these awesome black calf boots.  They were offering an additional 50% off the lowest price.  The box said $39.  I tried them on and they fit! So I bought them for $20 and then found this awesome dress.

What do you think of this outfit?  Have you found any good bargains recently?

 

 

Dress: Tiauna B.-$30

Boots: Easy Spirit-$20

Necklace: Casual Corner-?

 

 

Falll Fashion-Go Big Orange!

My favorite colors of the fall season are orange and brown.  Of course, I love orange, after all I grew up in the shadow of Neyland Stadium. Orange is a staple color every Saturday during football season.  Go Vols! I also love the richness of a deep chocolate brown. I think these colors signal the approach of fall more than any other.  I can't wait see fall colors creep down the mountains in Chattanooga.

Today, I paired a pumpkin orange 3/4 knit top with a chocolate brown skirt.  These colors just go so well together.  I love, love, love the skirt because it is so versatile.  I can pair it with so many other tops including the one I wore yesterday. So many people commented on my shoes, today. Yes, I wore my favorite pair of wedges because they are so comfortable.  I did ask Lexi if she thought the wedges would work with this outfit. Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that you just love to wear?

 We had a bridal shower after school.  We were asked to design a wedding dress out of toilet paper. I was nominated by my group to be the bride.  I thought I would share my group's creation.  I am glad that I volunteered for this fun game.  It was great to laugh with my teacher friends after a long day.

I am so glad to be participating in Fall Fashion Week. So glad that Lexi pressured me into participating

Top: Cato
Skirt: Land's End
Shoes: White Mountain
 

Reflecting on the beauty of the blue sky.

Friendship and Fellowship

Note: This is one of those posts that has been setting in the draft folder for months waiting for me to get up the courage to post...

For several years now, I have been resistant to actively seeking out friends. I was filled with excuses from head to toe about why I didn't have time. I cheated myself out of some opportunities to develop deep meaningful relationships. I substituted virtual relationships in many was for face to face contact. I became a recluse slipping in and out of social situations. Many times, I chose not to accept invitations because I thought that I couldn't be away from children or my spouse. Maybe, I wanted to avoid the sting of loss. Friendships are an investment and sometimes that investment may leave you broken. I didn't want to risk loss.

Recently, I began to accept the invitation to take the risk into friendship again. During this time some new friends have moved, one to Chicago and one to Germany, and one to Mexico. Many are at home when I am at work. Somehow despite it all, God in his providence is beginning to grow deep, meaningful relationships in my life again.

I am thankful for those women who were willing to commit to pray over me as a dealt with a minor health issue. My heart was so encouraged when I received a text from my friend in Chicago asking how my follow up appointment went. I, too, find myself thinking of them often and bringing them before Jesus and thanking Him for his provision.These friends are gently speaking the Truth with love into my life in a way that hasn't been done in years.

It all started with acce[ting the invitation. I am so thankful for my wonderful friends.This week take the time to invite someone to coffee or lunch, you may meet a new friend.

Fall Fashion Week-#2

Thanks to all my friends for the comments about yesterdays post. Lexi and I did a marathon session so all of my outfits for the week are already planned. Can I tell you how nice this is? All of my outfits are lined up and ready to go. However, I didn't actually wear the outfit for today's post, because on Monday the faculty and staff at my school wear Navy and Khaki.

I love the outfit in today's post. The top is a 2fer from the sale rack at Christopher and Banks. It is a chocolate cami covered by a patterned shell. I also found the sweater on the sale rack. I think the sweater pairs nicely with top. It is the perfect weight for fall.

Just right for the cool crisp morning that we had today. I chose to wear this with jeans that I also got on sale from Belk and the same shoes that I wore the dress yesterday. I wear these simple wedges all the time. They are so comfortable to wear at school when I am on my feet most of the day. Do you have a favorite pair of  comfortable shoes?

Looking forward to tomorrow and loving the fact that I don't have to think about what I am wearing.

Sweater-Christopher and Banks
Top-Christopher and Banks
Jeans-Levi (SALE)
Shoes-White Mountain

Fall Fashion Week...

My friend Lexi posted about Fall Fashion Week in her blog yesterday. It sounded like fun. I messaged her that I would love to participate but that I didn't think I could take pictures of myself. So Lexi took away my only excuse for not participating. This afternoon she came over took pictures of all my outfits for fall fashion week. She would say that she is not a professional photographer but I think she is. Lexi did a great job of helping me to be a natural in front of the camera. She was very very patient with me. We couldn't have asked for better weather. So here we go...

Today's outfit is a lovely green paisley dress. I wore this dress to a wedding last October. In my opinion, it is just perfect for the Fall.

I love the closeup picture because it captures the delicate necklace. Duane gave me this heart shaped necklace for my birthday just weeks after Nathanael was born. It is like a memory stone for that sweet special time in our life.

One thing I loved about getting ready for the photo shoot was exploring all the great clothes hanging in my closet that are perfect for the fall season. Thanks Lexi for the invitation to participate in Fall Fashion Week.

Oufit: Green Paisley Dress-Cato

Ruby Heart Necklace-Gift

Patina Wedge Shoes-White Mountain

The Invitation

How does it feel to be invited? Sometimes the invitation is to participate in something fun like a party and sometimes the invitation is to join the journey with someone through a life changing event that may be unwanted or scary. Sometimes the invitation is to become a participant. This is blog is invitation to join me on my journey of life through marriage, motherhood, teaching, and friendship. I'll share with you the ups and downs of my journey and invite you to dialogue with me about various topics. So will you join me?